{"id":1192,"date":"2025-01-03T01:09:21","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T05:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlylove.art\/?p=1192"},"modified":"2026-01-11T22:31:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T02:31:37","slug":"facing-death-facing-oneself-at-urbanguild-kyoto-april-16-2024-2-2-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlylove.art\/archives\/1192","title":{"rendered":"\u7f6e\u304d\u53bb\u3089\u308c\u305f\u93e1 The Forsaken Mirror by Chie Matsui \u677e\u4e95\u667a\u60e0 at Gallery Nomart, Osaka 4\/20\/24"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On my last night in Osaka, I scrapped my plan to see a concert whose musicians had not gotten back to me in order to attend a performance at the closing night reception for the solo exhibition \u7f6e\u304d\u53bb\u3089\u308c\u305f\u93e1 The Forsaken Mirror<\/strong> by the celebrated artist Chie Matsui<\/b><\/a> \u677e\u4e95\u667a\u60e0<\/b>. From the event announcement, I couldn\u2019t grasp what the performance or the exhibition would be like, but my friend and colleague Miho Tsujii<\/b><\/a> \u8fbb\u4e95\u7f8e\u7a42 <\/b>was reading a poem in the performance and Miho said that Gallery Nomart consistently presented quality artists and I felt drawn to attend. I find that when I follow my inner guidance, even when it leads me into the unknown, I end up appreciating the experience. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The performance consisted of music by avant-garde musicians sara<\/b><\/a> (piano, perc.) & Shin’ichi Isohata<\/b><\/a> \u78ef\u7aef\u4f38<\/b> (guitar) and a poem read in Japanese, Korean, and English by Chie, Yangjah<\/b><\/a>, and Miho<\/b>, respectively. At first, I didn\u2019t know what to make of the performance or the abstract, brightly colored prints surrounding a centrally hung mirror. Eventually, in the space created by the disorientation and abstraction, I reflected on who these people were, who I was, and the various identities we experience throughout life, which proved enlivening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned that earlier in her career, Chie\u2019s work has been exhibited internationally at MoMA<\/a> in NYC, at the Venice Biennale<\/a>, and other prestigious venues and was highly respected. At one point, she described her works, many of which have been installations, as \u201cdevices with which to produce narratives, as well as methods of creating space that generates an overall physical experience for the viewers.\u201d As I later learned, the other artists that Chie chose to perform at the closing reception also focused in their own work on transforming space in a way that creates a somatic experience for the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her exhibition statement, Chie stated that the Nomart Gallery owner encouraged her to exhibit there again after a 10-year hiatus, suggesting the theme of \u201cMirror\u201d in connection with the monotype printmaking technique, a technique she had not previously used. Chie initially doubted whether she could work with that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Monotype is a straightforward technique where paints and crayons are applied to an acrylic board and then transferred to paper. The resulting image is reversed from left to right, creating a simple texture without brushstrokes or raised areas of paint. Furthermore, only one impression can be made at a time. Why bother painting for the sake of creating a single transfer? The discrepancy between the profound word \u201cMirror\u201d and the lightness of the finished surface was troubling and raised an unanswerable question.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The unknown can feel like an obstacle if we view it as inherently risky. But approached with curiosity, it can also instigate discovery. \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d implies an absence of preconception or projected interpretation, which opens space for us to observe and experience freshly and intently and receive new inspiration and understanding. Chie accepted the gallery owner\u2019s concept precisely for this reason, \u201crecognizing that I wouldn’t know the outcome unless I tried.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For months, Chie came to the gallery several times a month to make monotype prints, accumulating more than a hundred without understanding what they might add up to or how they might illuminate the theme of \u201cmirror.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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